Seasonal Lasagna with Butternut Squash and Spinach, layered with marinara sauce to cut down the little bit of sweetness, will make an excellent vegetarian main for Thanksgiving.
The first time I made a butternut squash lasagna, it was with a creamy white sauce and however delicious it was, it did not work well as a vegetarian main for me. It was a tad too sweet and uni- dimensional in taste that I could eat only very little of it.
That is when I came across this recipe for a butternut squash lasagna with a marinara sauce. When I read it at first, I wasn’t sure how this could work. I however did try this one Thanksgiving and loved it!
This has been my go-to vegetarian main recipe for the last few Thanksgiving dinners. We always host Thanksgiving at our place and I make a roasted chicken or a cornish hen for everyone else. I am a vegetarian and I love to make a little something special as a vegetarian main as well. I personally love to make this lasagna as it is very seasonal with the butternut squash as the main ingredient and the marinara sauce balances the sweetness of the squash very well. I think this will continue as my vegetarian main for many more Thanksgiving dinners to come 
Butternut Squash Lasagna with Marinara Sauce – The Recipe
Adapted from Cooking Light | My Recipes
Ingredients:
For the Lasagna:
Lasagna Noodles – 10
For the Squash Filling:
Olive Oil – 1 tbsp
Garlic – 2 cloves, minced
Yellow Onion – 1, sliced thin
Spinach – 5 cups, roughly chopped
Butternut Squash – 1, peeled and cubed (1 inch pieces)
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Crushed Black pepper – to taste
For the Cheese Spread:
Eggs – 2
Ricotta Cheese – 8 oz
Milk – 1/4 cup
Garlic Powder – 1/2 tsp
Crushed Red Chillies – 1/4 tsp
Finely Chopped Parsley – 1/4 cup
Grated Parmesan – 1/2 cup
Salt – to taste
Crushed Black pepper – to taste
For the Marinara Sauce:
Olive Oil – 3 tbsp
Garlic Cloves – 2, crushed
Yellow Onions – 1/2, chopped
Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Crushed – 1 16oz can
San Marzano Crushed Tomatoes – 1 28oz can
Salt – to taste
Crushed Black Pepper – to taste
Grated Parmesan – 1 cup
Cooking Spray
Method:
Cook the lasagna noodles as per package instructions. Drain and keep.
To make the marinara sauce:
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the garlic and onions and saute well.
Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and simmer for about 30 mins or so.
To make the squash filling:
Cook the squash in the microwave with enough water to cover it fully, until it is soft. Drain the water and keep aside.
Heat the oil and add the onions and garlic to it. Saute until onions are translucent. Add the spinach and once it wilts, add the cooked squash to it along with salt and pepper. Mix well Remove from heat and keep aside.
To make the cheese spread:
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork until well combined.
To assemble:
In a lasagna pan, spray some cooking spray on all sides.
Spread 1/4 of the marinara sauce at the bottom.
Arrange three lasagna sheets.
Spread a 1/2 of the squash mixture over it. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the squash mixture.
Pour 1/4 of the marinara sauce over it and layer with three more lasagna sheets.
Repeat with the rest and end with the last set of lasagna sheets. (You will have one extra, that is ok,it was just in case one of your other sheets tore)
Top with the remaining marinara sauce and the 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil.
Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake covered with foil for about 30 mins or so. Remove foil and bake again for another 15 mins or so.
The unbaked lasagna can be frozen. Thaw to room temperature before baking.
- For the Lasagna:
- Lasagna Noodles - 10
- For the Squash Filling:
- Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
- Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
- Yellow Onion - 1, sliced thin
- Spinach - 5 cups, roughly chopped
- Butternut Squash - 1, peeled and cubed (1 inch pieces)
- Salt - ½ tsp
- Crushed Black pepper - to taste
- For the Cheese Spread:
- Eggs - 2
- Ricotta Cheese - 8 oz
- Milk - ¼ cup
- Garlic Powder - ½ tsp
- Crushed Red Chillies - ¼ tsp
- Finely Chopped Parsley - ¼ cup
- Grated Parmesan - ½ cup
- Salt - to taste
- Crushed Black pepper - to taste
- For the Marinara Sauce:
- Olive Oil - 3 tbsp
- Garlic Cloves - 2, crushed
- Yellow Onions - ½, chopped
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Crushed - 1 16oz can
- San Marzano Crushed Tomatoes - 1 28oz can
- Salt - to taste
- Crushed Black Pepper - to taste
- Grated Parmesan - 1 cup
- Cooking Spray
- Cook the lasagna noodles as per package instructions. Drain and keep.
- To make the marinara sauce:
- Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the garlic and onions and saute well.
- Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and simmer for about 30 mins or so.
- To make the squash filling:
- Cook the squash in the microwave with enough water to cover it fully, until it is soft. Drain the water and keep aside.
- Heat the oil and add the onions and garlic to it. Saute until onions are translucent. Add the spinach and once it wilts, add the cooked squash to it along with salt and pepper. Mix well Remove from heat and keep aside.
- To make the cheese spread:
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork until well combined.
- To assemble:
- In a lasagna pan, spray some cooking spray on all sides.
- Spread ¼ of the marinara sauce at the bottom.
- Arrange three lasagna sheets.
- Spread a ½ of the squash mixture over it. Spread ½ of the cheese mixture over the squash mixture.
- Pour ¼ of the marinara sauce over it and layer with three more lasagna sheets.
- Repeat with the rest and end with the last set of lasagna sheets. (You will have one extra, that is ok,it was just in case one of your other sheets tore)
- Top with the remaining marinara sauce and the 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil.
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake covered with foil for about 30 mins or so. Remove foil and bake again for another 15 mins or so.
- The unbaked lasagna can be frozen. Thaw to room temperature before baking.
Leave a Reply